As you probably know present day Hoylake is named after the Hoyle Lake (also referred to as High or Hyle Lake) – the formerly permanent tidal channel , or lake, and anchorage running from Hilbre Island to Great Meols.

Hoylake is a relatively modern construct and seems to have been first applied as a place name, rather than a tidal lake, to the area around The Royal Hotel in Stanley Road and The King’s Gap.

Modern Hoylake covers most of what older maps show as Little Meols, Hoose and Great Meols.

Hoose was the central ‘old village’ area of Hoylake, Little Meols was the area between Hoose and central West Kirby covering the full length of Meols Drive to about Lingdale & Riversdale Roads. Hence Meols Drive! Great Meols still retains its original name although most usually without the prefix.

The Hoose name has been almost totally lost altho’ it lives on in the Hoose Court flats and the Little Meols name only lives on through Meols Drive.

Meols is I understand generally thought to mean sandhills.

Peter

b jones